


Learning to Accept

by SimpleUser



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Abused Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Heavy Angst, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Has Anxiety, Multi, idk ill add more if needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:33:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29522997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimpleUser/pseuds/SimpleUser
Summary: Abuse, blackmail, hurt, and despair. You want to protect the people you love from these things, sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have to accept that you can't do anything.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant
Comments: 11
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is heavy with angst, as said in the tags. I tried to include any tags I deemed appropriate, but if the need for more trigger warnings arise in the future, I'll add them to the beginning of whatever chapter they're relevant to. So if a trigger warning is added to a chapter, please do not ignore it!

It was pleasantly quiet in the classroom, students chatting casually as they made their way inside. Marinette, being her typical self, rushed inside only barely beating the bell. 

"Nice timing girl" Alya noted, smiling at her friend who sat down behind her. Marinette fought to catch her breath whilst quickly eating her bread before the teacher could come in and notice. Last thing she'd want would be to be told to throw away her breakfast. 

"How typical of Dupain Cheng to eat something as lame as _bread_ first thing in the morning. I'd bet a slob like her wouldn't even know the first thing about a proper breakfast" Chloe sneered. Marinette grumbled a bit, but otherwise made no attempt to acknowledge Chloe's typical snootiness. 

"Like what? A low cal fancy salad, miss bourgeoise?" Alya chuckled, quick to defend Marinette, to which she smiled in response. 

"Ugh" Chloe growled, but before she could snap back with some sassy retort, the class was hushed by Madame Bustier. 

__________

"Hey, my dad just texted me. He said that he has some leftover pastries that didn't sell today, and you guys could come over and have them if you want" Marinette said, inviting Nino and Alya over to her house. 

"I'd love to but I have to visit my cousins today" Alya said. Marinette nodded, telling her that it's alright. 

"What about you Nino?" she asked. 

"I mean, I'll gladly stop by and pick up some but I won't be able to stay long 'cuz I have homework. I got paired with _Chloe_ for our Algebra test practice and you know what it's like working with _her"_ Nino shrugged. Marinette visibly cringed at the idea of being stuck with Chloe. 

"Girl, why don't you go ask _Adrien_ to come over~" Alya whispered, giggling when her friend immediately went red in the race. 

"W-whaaaa-!? Me!? A-and- and us- my house- no!" Marinette stuttered. "Alya I can'ttt" 

"Yo Adrien what's up!" Nino called, waving Adrien over despite Marinette's embarrassment. The blonde approached the small group happily, offering a smile to them before asking what was up. 

"Marinette just invited us to her place for pastries. I won't be able to go, and Nino can't stay long but we'd hate for her dad's awesome sweets to go to waste since you can't really _sell_ leftovers" Alya began. 

"Yeah and I'd feel kinda bad just popping in, eating, and then leaving. Think you can come with us?" Nino asked. Adrien looked to Marinette, the blushing shy mess who hid from his gaze. 

"Would that really be ok?" he asked, directing his voice to Marinette. He wasn't exactly sure how she felt about him and he'd feel bad invading her space if she didn't want him around. Though luckily, she nodded and smiled despite her shy fidgeting. 

__________

Adrien and Marinette were left alone after Nino left. It wasn't bad, it was a pleasant silence, but Marinette also grew increasingly uncomfortable not knowing what to do or say. Thankfully, she had put away collection of pictures before Adrien could see, but this only left her in a bare room with nothing to talk about. 

"Um..." Marinette flinched at the sound of Adrien's sudden voice, causing him to flinch as well. There was another brief moment of silence before the two of them laughed it off.

"I just wanted to thank you, for inviting me over" he said. 

"O-of course! You're always welcome to be with me...I-I mean! Not _with me_ with me, but with me, here, you know?" She stuttered. Adrien chuckled, but stopped when he heard his phone buzz. 

Marinette was confused and a bit put off when Adrien's expression drastically changed from the cheery one he just wore. He looked...scared? 

"I-I have to go" he said, quickly running off before Marinette could even process what was happening. 

__________

"Your father is waiting for you inside" Nathalie said. Adrien nodded, looking down sadly. Surely if his father personally summoned him back home, it couldn't mean anything good. But what could he possibly have done wrong? He was sure he didn't have any after school responsibilities today...

Adrien stepped inside, visibly shaking but trying his best not to look so afraid. His father was sitting on the couch, stone faced as usual. He didn't seem angry, but that didn't ease Adrien's mind as much as he hoped it would. 

"Sit down Adrien" Gabriel said. His voice made Adrien jump. He fought the urge to fall down or run away, forcing himself to approach the man where he sat. 

"Father?" Adrien whispered, sitting beside the man stiffly. The silence, while brief, was painful. 

"Adrien, what jobs were you expected to do after school" he asked. Adrien thought hard but couldn't come up with anything. 

"I-I don't know, father I...I thought I didn't have any..." Adrien answered, his voice retreating into a whisper. Gabriel stood up, staring down at him son sternly. Adrien shrunk into himself upon his father's terrifying gaze. 

" _Precisely"_ he said. Adrien blinked confusedly. If he was right then...what was wrong? "Adrien, what have I specifically told you to do whenever you have no after-school obligations?" Gabriel asked. Adrien remained silent, unsure of what to say. Gabriel took this as a sign of disrespect and wasted no time in responding. 

Adrien gasped fearfully when his father grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him slightly off the couch so he could look Adrien in the eyes more sternly than before. 

"My orders have always been clear; you go to school, take care of your after school activities, and come home. You are to come straight home if you have no obligations after school" Gabriel said sternly. Adrien gulped. He'd forgotten that this was the expectation of him, but it was too late for that. 

"Adrian I don't want to have to hurt you, but you abusing the freedom's I've granted you will _not_ slide with me. If you want to go out, you _ask_ me" he said. Adrian nodded, tears pricking his eyes as he shook under his fathers grip. 

"I-I'm sorry Father" Adrian shakily whispered. Gabriel shoved Adrian down, once again staring him down. 

"I'll spare you just this once of physical punishment. No, I have far too much work to do to administer anything like that. So instead, I'll try something different with you" Gabriel said. 

Adrian was confused. Happy, of course, that his father wouldn't hurt him this time, but confused. He winced when Gabriel snatched him off the couch by the wrist, dragging him roughly out the living room. He was brought to his bedroom, and before he could open his mouth to question what was going on, he was thrown inside and the door was slammed shut, leaving him alone.

__________

"Alya, don't you think it's strange?" Marinette started. The two girls had gone for ice cream after class, casually chatting about simple nonsense until Marinette suddenly became vulnerable. 

"What is?" Alya asked. 

"Well" she started eating her ice cream, finding the words to say what she wanted to say. "Adrian hasn't been in school for a little over a week now. I just feel...weird. I dunno, don't laugh, I just have a bad feeling about it" 

Alya smiles and steals a taste of Marinette's ice cream to lighten the mood. 

"Ah- hey!" Marinette laughed. Alya laughed too.

"I'm sure that boy's just fine. I'll talk to Nino for you and if we don't see or hear from Adrian by tomorrow, we can go check on him together, ok?" She suggested. Marinette smiles and nodded. 

"Thanks Alya"

__________

Adrien was curled up on his bed. He was used to being alone, but he'd never been locked away with no social interaction for this long before. Gabriel had confiscated all of Adrien's remotes before locking him in the room, so not only was he alone, but he was alone with nothing to distract him. The time could only go by painfully slow, silently. 

Plagg had tried cheering him up but any bit of noise felt so loud to Adrien that he just couldn't keep up with it. At first it was his own anxieties stopping him from talking to Plagg; he was afraid that someone would hear them since there was no noise to drown out their voices. But eventually, it wasn't just his anxiety stopping him, but also the fact that he'd gotten so accustomed to the silence that any bit of noise startled him. 

Adrien jumped when he heard the door opening. He expected it would be someone placing food inside before leaving him alone again, but much to his surprise, Nathalie had fully entered his room. 

"N-Nathalie..." Adrien whispered. 

"Your friends requested some time to go over studies together. Your father has decided he'll conclude your grounding period _if_ you prove to him today that you can be trusted" she said. Adrien nodded frantically, wanting nothing more than to get out of this dreadful silence. 

__________


	2. Chapter 2

Alya, Nino, Marinette, and Adrien sat in a circle on the floor together. At first Adrien insisted they all sit comfortably on his couch but the group mutually agreed that the floor would suffice well enough for a simple study session. If they sat on the couch, the teens knew all too well that they'd get distracted. 

Once they were done with catching up on their work, they began to talk about more casual stuff like funny things Adrien missed out on while he was out. 

"Why _were_ you out for so long?" Marinette asked before panicking a bit. "I mean- you don't have to answer that if you don't want to I'm sorry!" 

"It's fine" Adrien smiled, assuring his friend that she had done no harm. "I just forgot to talk to my father about something and we had a little dispute over it. I got grounded and had to stay home for a bit, but it's ok now. I'm not grounded anymore" he explained. 

"Wow, guess even Adrien can be bad sometimes" Alya teased, earning laughs from everyone. 

After some time Adrien's friends had to leave. He was sad to see them go, but he felt more refreshed than he had all week. While at times, he liked his alone time without having to speak with anyone, he had to admit that being so deprived of any form of communication or even any sensory stimulation was brutal. 

Things went as normal from then; Adrien and his father were just as distant as always but the two didn't fight when Adrien was finally let out of his room, which meant he was forgiven. That alone meant a lot to Adrien. 

__________

Adrien had a photoshoot the next day; a job he didn't exactly like, but knew he had no choice in. 

Things ran as usual. Designated workers tended to his hair and makeup throughout sessions, cameramen gave orders on how to pose and whatnot, etc etc. 

Adrien did his best to keep up with the fast pacing of the sessions, but he found it more inconvenient than anything that the cameramen would hit him for making too many mistakes. It only led to him having to redo his makeup to cover the bruising.

He's told his father in the past about how the people at work would hit him, only to learn that apparently Gabriel had given them legal permission to discipline Adrien as they saw fit since Gabriel was too busy to reprimand Adrien himself. And if Gabriel got word that Adrien had given them a particularly hard time at work, he'd only make it worse for himself at home. So he tried not to complain too much. 

Didn't make him hate his job any less. 

Modeling used to be fun. It felt nice to be pretty and have people take nice pictures of you. But when it goes on for six hours nonstop after an already tiring day at school, and not being granted any time for a break, it becomes more of a loathsome chore rather than a hobby. 

Finally, the cameramen packed their things, meaning that the shoot was over for the day. Adrien was beyond exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. 

Except he couldn't. Because he has other responsibilities to tend to. Like pretending to practice the piano so he could patrol the city as Cat Noir. 

__________

Everyone was surprised and excited when a new student was introduced. She fit in immediately and very quickly grew in popularity, her name spreading around the school much quicker than her actual presence. In fact, after weeks of leaving a strong impression on everyone, Lila suddenly stopped showing up. Almost as though she had vanished. But she soon proved to still have her classmates in mind when she virtually spoke with all of them. It was only a matter of time after, that she would come back. 

It had originally been her plan to befriend everyone and sail through school easy peasy, but a certain goody two shoes stood in her way by trying to expose her for what they both knew were blatant lies. It was because of this dedication to ruin everything Lila stood for, that she pledged to utterly obliterate Marinette Dupain Cheng and run whatever's left if her through the cold mud. 

It's common knowledge that while boys can be heartless, girls can be downright wicked. 

Adrien wasn't one to know much about girls. When he heard that Marinette and Lila hadn't been getting along, he figured it was similar to the sort of feuds he had with his cousin when they were small; petty heated fights that ultimately held no serious weight to them after the matter. 

What he _didn't_ know, was that girl drama was _nothing_ like boy drama. While Marinette cherished the morality of the boy, and chose to better herself by following his advice on being nicer to Lila, the nature of their relationship would only continue to grow worse. 

__________

"Nathalie?" Adrien called nervously. Dinner was silent, as per usual. His father, as usual (again), was absent, leaving Adrien to dine himself.

Sometimes on days like this, Nathalie would keep Adrien company. But it was usually awkwardly silent between the two, so she didn't often accompany him during meals. Tonight was one of the rare occasions she did, and she was caught off guard that he'd start conversation with her. Still, she cared for him, and she wouldn't deny the poor boy a simple conversation. 

"Yes, Adrien?" She responded. He picked at his food nervously before looking back at her. 

"I think I'm a bad person" he said.


	3. Chapter 3

"what brought this on?" Nathalie questioned. Adrien frowned, looking down.

"My friend at school...she doesn't really get along with this other girl. I told her not to think too much of it and not to do anything that would make the girl hate her any more. After that she slowly stopped talking to me. She won't even look at me anymore. I...I think i did something wrong. I'm always messing stuff up. That's probably why father doesn't like talking to me either" Adrien sighed. 

Nathalie was prided on being able to keep her emotions in check when she was working. Feelings and expressing them served no purpose and only hindered her work when she was in a professional setting. So it's only natural that she wouldn't be able to show how she felt. But despite her cold demeanor that closely resembled her stoic boss, her heart twinged for the poor boy. 

While she fully understood that Gabriel couldn't be more present in Adrien's life, despite how much he longs to, she couldn't help but feel for the young boy. He doesn't understand why his father is the way he is, he's just a child. And he blames himself for all the bad things happening around him. Nathalie naturally wanted to comfort him, but she wasn't sure it was even her place to take on that role seeing as she's his fathers assistant, not the boys mother. 

"Your father is a busy man" she stated. "I can assure you, his absence has nothing to do with you" 

Adrien didn't seem convinced, but there was nothing she could do about that. It would be inappropriate of her to say anything more. The most she could to now was speak to Gabriel and hope that he may pull himself out of his depression enough to maybe talk with his son for more than five minutes without it pertaining to discipline, work, or anything of the sort. Just quality family time with the only family the two have left; each other. But she knew that this was unlikely, as Gabriel was a stubborn, pessimistic man. 

"What do I do about my friend? I really like her but I think she hates me" Adrien said. Nathalie thought for a moment. 

"Adrian, do you know why girls are different from boys?" She asked. "Aside from any physical aspect, that is"

Adrien thought to himself for a bit, pondering what she may be hinting towards but soon shook his head. 

"It's because girls learn to understand the complexities of the mind and emotion. They navigate the world with logic, but they never forget how the mind can work against you" she explained. 

"Boys often don't explore the complexities of the mind or that of other people's minds. So while they understand how the mind works, they don't have a strong grasp on the many intricacies of thought and emotions. Not in the way girls do. So when they're met with a problem, they approach it head on" she continued. Adrien was confused by the strange lesson, but listened nonetheless.

"Boys are very direct with everything; their feelings, their problems, and their intentions. But girls are more subtle. Girls understand much more than just direct messages, they pick up on every trace of energy their surroundings provide, so they don't handle things in the direct way that boys often to. Instead, they respond subtly. Girls communicate with hints and warnings, boys communicate with straightforwardness. So when a boy feels threatened, the conflict is often resolved quickly and simply. Do you know what girls do when they feel threatened?" Nathalie prompted. 

"Um..." Adrien began to think. "They fight for a long time?" 

"Girls don't fight" Nathalie corrected. "We hunt. And we don't let up until the one who wronged us is rightfully crushed. We don't directly attack each other unless it's a direct conflict. These girls are likely not in a direct conflict, they're at _war,_ and they're too focused on surviving the wrath of one another to consider you. Boys are not meant to resolve girls conflicts, girls and boys are different and should handle things separately. Don't get involved unless you're willing to fight in this war and pick a side, do you understand?" 


	4. Chapter 4

Nathalie had never been the talkative type. She spoke when spoken to, and never wasted words. Seeing her sharing such a detailed lesson was very out of character, but in a way, Adrien appreciated it. He realized that apparently he had much to learn about girls. He didn't realize how naive he was, but it was nice to have someone teach him. 

"So what you're saying is that I should let them fight and stay out of it?" He asked. Nathalie nodded. 

"You're friends with this girl, and I can tell you care greatly for her. Right now, she's fighting her own battles and it's difficult to be close to you at a time like this, but I'm sure that whatever this conflict is about must be something petty. Girls often bump heads over small things. But i promise, you haven't done anything wrong. You should let the girls settle their own issues, it's not your place to tell either of them what to do" she explained. Adrien nodded, having appreciated the talk and was now feeling better. 

__________

Marinette sat on her bed, glaring at the drawer beside her. She knew it wasn't her fault that things had to be this way but she still felt bad about it. 

It was years ago, when Marinette was younger, that she and her family first found out. 

She had been spending time at a park with her grandma when suddenly, huge crowds of people appeared. The two didn't realize that a parade was happening that day, and the suddenness of everything was so overwhelming that Marinette was desperate to go home. 

Marinette tried to keep herself composed, but the many sounds, the dizzying crowd, the shoving and shouting, and the many sensations drove her crazy. She began to panic, her mind racing through completely ridiculous fearful thoughts. This wasn't her first experience like this, but it was the first hee grandma had ever seen. And though she was no doctor, she knew something was wrong and spoke with Tom and Sabine about it after bringing Marinette home. 

Marinette was scheduled appointments to speak with her doctor, and was soon referred to a therapist who could better help her understand her problems. 

It was then, that Marinette received her diagnosis for social anxiety and panic disorder. 

Tom and Sabine were extremely supportive. They never judged Marinette for her illnesses, in fact, they made her feel normal. They never treated it like an illness or something to be ashamed of, rather, they addressed it as a challenge that they believed Marinette was strong enough to battle. They always kept her medicine supply full, and they paid close attention to her triggers and tried not to overstimulate her. They did the best they could and they were doing a great job. 

Marinette loved herself even despite the struggles she faced with her disorders, but she soon learned that mental illness wasn't as normalized as she had once thought and she'd been teased in the past for being medicated. 

Of course, Marinette still takes care of herself and takes her medication when needed, but it's become important to her to keep that side of her secret. She never wanted to be seen as different or crazy, but she knew that if this secret got out, that's exactly what everyone would think. It's caused panic in her to even imagine the scenarios that would play out if this were to ever happen, so she tried her best not to think about it too much. 

And then Lila showed up. 

Now, Marinette is no dummy. She knows a liar when she sees one. And rightfully, she called Lila out on it because its not fair to all her friends if she just lets this girl get away with playing them for fools. And of course, Lila did not like this.

Admittedly, Marinette _was_ jealous of Lila, and that caused her to come off too strong with her. Because of that, the two immediately hit it off as catty rivals. Lila isn't a good person by any means, Marinette knows this. She hurts and manipulates people to get what she wants, and for that, she's selfish and wrong. But Marinette learned from Adrien that two wrongs don't make a right, and she realized that the way she'd been acting wasn't exactly good either. So she took it upon herself to be the bigger person and let their differences go. Even if they couldn't be friends, Marinette didn't want to be enemies. 

Lila wasn't the fair playing type though. 

Even after Marinette made it known that she didn't intend to fight with Lila anymore, Lila made it known that a war was already started and she intended to _win_. 

At first, Marinette wasn't scared of Lila. She was confident that her friendships were too strong to be broken by petty lies from a girl who's essentially a stranger to everyone. But what Lila had in store for Marinette wasn't lies. 

It was blackmail. 

Marinette has no idea how Lila found out that she was on anxiety meds, but when she threatened to spill the secret of hers, Marinette nearly surrendered. 

At first, Lila wanted Marinette to abandon all her friends. But that was a price much to high for a secret like that. So they compromised. Lila promised she'd keep that matter a secret if she agreed to give up on Adrien. 

Normally, Marinette would've said no way. But she realized that it was Adrien's choice if he wanted to be with Lila, whether Marinette interfered or not. So she agreed. 

In a way, it's better that she did. Her chances with Adrien probably would've been ruined if he learned that she was a no good crazy girl. She would've liked for him to like her back, warts and all, but that's asking too much of someone like him. He's perfect. How could he like someone like her? 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick trigger warning for my lgbtq+ babies out there, this chapter briefly talks about being outed against ones will and the stressful aftermath. There won't be any explicit homophobia (cuz this show is too good for that shit) but to those of you who are sensitive to that sort of thing, you may wanna read with caution. Don't overexert yourself, know that you are loved, and if you don't feel loved, I want you to know that im like you. I'm pansexual, AND polyamorous, and I love all of you in the community no matter how many labels you use (except for pedophiles. But by technicality, they aren't a part of the community anyway) if you choose to use any labels at all. The world is unfortunately full of hate, but that's the result of thousands of years of hateful propaganda planted against us. Youre not alone, our community exists to give everyone a sense if normalcy. And you ARE normal, no matter how you identify. You are not the hatred that everyone directs to you, you are a strong wonderful person. I believe in you all and i love each and every one of you! Enjoy ^^

"Alright Marinette, time to spill the beans" Alya said, breaking the silence between the two. 

"Dude, I thought you _liked_ Adrien. But now you don't talk to him, you don't look at him, you don't think about him-" 

"How do you know when im thinking about him?" 

"Your face goes pink and your pupils get a bit wider" 

Marinette blushed, embarrassed that even her moments fantasizing about her crush were so obvious. 

"Listen, you know I love you right?" Alya asked. Marinette slowly nodded. She knew it was true but this was the first time her vest friend had actually said it in words to her. 

"Good, because I do. You can tell me anything Marinette, I've got you" she said softly. "So I'm only gonna ask this once, and I'm gonna trust that you'll tell me the truth, ok?" 

Marinette was on edge. She didn't like the sound of that. 

"Did Adrien ever do anything to you? Anything bad to make you afraid of him or to hate him or anything like that?" She asked quietly. Marinette's eyes widened.

She appreciated Alya's concern but she never would've expected _anyone_ to suspect _Adrien_ of all people, to be the one who could've done something hurtful. 

"WHAT!?" Marinette exclaimed. She blushed and quieted down when she realized just how loud she was, however. "Alya, no way. I promise, everything's fine. Adrien would _never_ hurt me" Marinette assured. 

"Are you sure?" Alya asked. "It's just weird, y'know? One day you're head over heels for him, and then the next you're just...not. That's weird. I'm not trying to say anything bad i just wanna make sure you're ok"

Marinette smiled and nodded, taking hold of Alya's hand to give it an affirming grip. 

"I promise" Marinette said. "And if I feel like I need to talk to you about anything, I'm glad to know I can trust you" 

Outside of both girls view, a sneaky Lila smiled deviously. 

__________

Marinette had always been the type to give advice, _good_ advice, yet unable to follow advice. But today, after having that talk with Alya, she decided to take Tikki's advice on talking to her about the Lila situation.

Alya was always so strong and smart, maybe she could help Marinette out of this blackmail situation. She took some time to mentally prepare herself, and when the next day came, she readied herself.

"Hi Alya" Marinette said. "How are you?"

"Oh, uh, I'm ok I guess. What about you?"

"Are you ok?" Marinette asked, but internally slapped herself for asking. 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. What's up?" 

"Well um...I wanted to talk to you about something" she began. "It's kinda important. This is really hard for me to talk about because it's something I never told anyone about, but I wanted you to be the first one I told" she said. 

Marinette was confused and a bit worried when Alya visibly paled, taking a slow step back. 

"Alya?" Marinette questioned, confused. Was something wrong?

"Marinette I..." Alya choked. She looked almost hurt as she spoke. "Listen, I really like you, you're my best friend but I just...I can't" 

With that, she took off before Marinette could say anything more. 

The rest of the day passed on painfully slow. Marinette never got the chance to speak alone with Alya again, so not only was she unable to tell her about her situation, but now she has to sit with her worries about why Alya was acting so strange. 

By the time lunch rolled around, Marinette was determined to get some time alone with Alya. But she was stopped when Lila took a seat beside her. 

Marinette inwardly cursed, knowing that this had to have meant bad news. 

"I'm really sorry to hear that Alya reacted the way she did" Lila said. Marinette glared at her but didn't respond. 

"Really. I mean, if anyone told _me_ something like that about _my_ best friend-" Lila began but was cut off when Marinette sudden shouted. 

"YOU TOLD HER!?" Marinette shouted. 

"Marinette _relax_ " Lila chuckled. To anyone else, she may have sounded friendly. But Marinette knew this tone, it wasn't friendly, it was a _warning_. 

"No! I can't believe you'd open your fat mouth after we had an agreement! I thought you'd at least have enough self respect to keep your word but you're worse than Chloe! At least she's true to herself, but you're just a horrible person, and Adrien will _never_ love you" she spat. 

Marinette didn't realize until after her outburst, that she's made herself the center of attention. And to make matters worse, Lila noticed just as quickly as Marinette did and as expected, she took advantage of the opportunity to make Marinette look even worse by faking hurt cries. 

"I didn't mean to make you so angry! I don't understand what I did wrong" she sobbed. Marinette only glared, any ounce of patience being sucked away from her with every tear Lila faked. 

Before things could get any worse, two familiar faces approached Lila and Marinette calmly. And thankfully, they weren't teachers, which meant that Marinette wasn't in any real trouble. 

Marinette recognized one of her classmates as Nathaniel, but the boy standing by him was one she'd never had the opportunity to formally meet. She felt bad that this was her introduction to him. But she hoped she could reintroduce herself, maybe explain the situation, and maybe he would understand. 

"Hey Marinette, can we talk in private?" Nathaniel asked sweetly. Marinette was reluctant at first, still angry at Lila and unsure if she wanted to leave her just yet. But she knew that if she stayed, she'd only grow even more angry and she didn't want to risk digging an even deeper hole for herself. So she agreed and left with him. 

Marinette was led outside, and once they'd stopped walking, she looked at him curiously. 

"Did you need something?" She asked. "If this is about my outburst to Lila, I know I should've found another way to handle things but she makes me so _angry_ and I wasn't thinking-" 

"Don't apologize Marinette, I understand completely and I'm not judging you" he assured. "In fact, I honestly think your reaction was totally valid"

"You do?" Marinette asked, her stress slowly melting away. Nathaniel nodded, smiling.

"I've never officially told anyone about this, but I think you understand what I'm going through better than anyone, so you'll be the first I tell" he began. Marinette felt a sense of dread, knowing that this was somehow going to lead her to some awful realization that she truly wasn't ready to tackle, but she had no way out. Nathaniel took a deep breath and spoke. 

"I'm gay" he finally said. "I know my crush on you in the past was something real. I'm over it now, but I know me liking you wasn't a phase to turn me over to boys, it was real. But I've always felt _something_ for boys too, I never knew what it was because no one ever talks about this sort of thing, but after I began to understand my feelings for you, and then get over them, I realized that those same feelings are one's I could have for boys too"

"I don't think I'd ever fall in love with another girl, but I'm glad I fell in love with you because you helped me realize who I really am. And now, I have a boyfriend that im really happy with. Right now, he's talking to Lila about what she did wrong. No one should _ever_ be outed before they're ready. I'm really sorry that happened to you" He finished. 

Marinette was frozen with shock. 

"Uh- I'm sorry, what???" She blurted out. Nathaniel looked just confused as she was. 

"Lila, she told Alya that you had a thing for her. I think Alya told Nino, because someone overheard Nino telling Adrien and that's how word got around" 

Marinette immediately went red. Lila was so low for this! So, _so_ low! 

"I'm not gay!" Marinette exclaimed. Nathaniel was caught off guard by this, more confused than before. 

"What?" He questioned. 

"I- Nathaniel, I'm really happy for you, and I promise I won't say anything about you for as long as you'd like to stay closeted, but this whole thing, it's a lie! I'm _not_ gay and I _don't_ have a crush on Alya" Marinette explained. 

"Wait but, if it's not true, then what was that about?" He asked. Marinette sighed deeply. 

"It's a long story" Marinette said sadly. "I really just needed some friendly support with something. Lila really hurt me, and I can't exactly say what it is she did because it's personal and it's complicated, but before i could even tell Alya, that little snake went and spread more lies to stop me! Now everyone thinks I'm gay-" Marinette's voice hitched as she began to cry. 

"A-and there's nothing wrong with being gay but- that's not who I am! A-and now, if everyone thinks that about me, I'll never have a chance with the boy I like" she cried. 

It was awkward for a bit before Nathaniel decided to comfort Marinette. After all, she was still his friend even if they weren't close. She seemed to appreciate it, and she stopped crying after a short while. 

"We can tell everyone together that it wasn't true" Nathaniel said. Marinette nodded, truly happy to have at least _someone_ help her.


	6. Chapter 6

"Marinette, I'm so sorry" Alya apologized. "I was so caught off guard, and honestly, the thought of you liking me scared me because, even if you _were_ gay- which I totally respect if you are or if you aren't! The thought of it scared me, because I don't feel the same. I really cherish our friendship and I didn't wanna hurt you by having to reject you but I just couldn't feel the same. I didn't want something like that ruining the friendship we have" she explained. 

Marinette was never angry at Alya for how she reacted. While she may not have reacted the same way, she didn't exactly see anything wrong with how Alya responded. It was something both of them were totally unprepared for. But she still appreciated the assurance that if she _did_ ever want to come out as someone who liked girls, it would be well received- as long as those feelings are never directed towards Alya. 

The two shared a friendly laugh, and once they quieted down, Alya opened her mouth to speak once more but was cut off by Marinette.

"Alya" she began. "I don't ever want anything to come between the two of us, I want you to trust that everything I've ever told you during our friendship has been the truth"

"Of course Girl" Alya assured. 

"Alya" Marinette started again. "Don't trust Lila. I'm telling you, she's a _liar_ , and this isn't jealousy, this is _real_. And i need you to trust me, because if you don't, she'll find a way to hurt our friendship even harder than she did today" 

Alya put her serious face on as she listened. It wasn't often that Marinette took such a serious tone when talking to her, but when she did, Alya knew it was something to truly listen to. 

"I promise" she said. "I'll always have faith in you" 

"Thank you" Marinette said. 

"That reminds me" Alya started. "I totally left you hanging when you were about to tell me something important! If what Lila said wasn't true, then what _were_ you gonna say?" She asked. 

Marinette was ready to talk to her there and then, but she knew that Lila was watching her. She could _feel_ her watching, waiting. 

"I think I'll tell you later" 

With that, the two girls parted ways. As soon as Marinette was alone, lo and behold, Lila revealed herself from the shadows. Marinette glared but waited for her to speak. After all, she must want something. 

"Wonderful show today, convincing everyone like that. Guess i shouldn't have underestimated you Marinette" Lila said, smiling despite her admitting defeat. 

Marinette and Nathaniel had went back to class after their talk, telling everyone that the whole situation was a misunderstanding. Since Marinette wasn't alone in explaining, Lila was forced to revoke her lies and come up with a new one on the spot. She ended up telling everyone that she had misunderstood a conversation she and Marinette had privately and falsely believed that Marinette liked Alya when she actually didn't. 

It was unfortunate that she had to do that in the first place, but it was worth it because she had a much better plan in place to get Marinette out the picture completely. 

"I'll only say this once" she began. "I'm allowed to do whatever I want. I do what I want to get _everything_ I want. And you standing in my way is troublesome. Are you gonna give up? I already showed you today what I'm capable of. I can get everyone to believe me no matter how bizarre my words are". 

"That's exactly why I _have_ to stop you. I'm not the only one you're gonna hurt" Marinette answered. Lila smiled even wider, a strange glow lighting in her eyes.

"You may have won today's battle. But don't say I didn't warn you when I win the war" she whispered. 

"Oh, and by the way" she started again. "I don't need Adrien to love me. He's already mine" 

Once again, Marinette was left alone. 

__________

Adrien was still conflicted about Marinette and Lila. After today's argument, he knew there was something more going on than he'd been let on to. But he wanted to continue taking Nathalie's advice and stay out of it.

Why did Marinette bring him up then? When she said that he could never love Lila, what did she mean by that? 

Adrien was well aware that Lila wasn't someone he could trust. He had faith that she could be a good person if she stopped trying to be someone she's not, but with the way she is now, he agreed; he couldn't possibly have feelings for her. Aside from the fact that his heart was already reserved, he was just generally a bit too put off by Lila to ever see her in that way. And while he truly wants to be her friend, he just can't ever imagine loving her the way he loves Ladybug. 

But why did it matter to either of them what he thought of the two of them? Marinette was always so adamant that she liked him but didn't _like_ like him, and Lila made it clear to him that she didn't care about playing fair with other people. Neither of them seemed as though they could hold strong feelings for him, so he just couldn't understand what relevance his feelings towards then could play in their girl war. 

But then again, Nathalie did say that boys couldn't possibly understand the complexities of a girls mind. So he accepted that if they didn't want to talk to him directly about this, it was probably best he didn't think much of it. 

Adrien was practicing the piano (actually practicing, not pretending this time). He heard the door open and he flinched sharply at the sudden sound, hitting the wrong key by accident because of it. He looked behind him nervously and flinched once more under the stern gaze of his father.

"F-father! I...I didn't expect to see you today" Adrien said quietly. It was true, Gabriel didn't usually bother Adrien when he was practicing his piano. So he was thankful that he was actually here, practicing, when his father walked in. Otherwise, he would've had to say goodbye to any ounce of freedom.

"Nathalie tells me you've been having girl troubles in school" he said. Adrien gulped, hoping his father wasn't angry. 

"Y-yes sir..." Adrien whispered, looking down and squeezing his eyes shut, prepared to endure however his father may hit him. But he was surprised when no strike came down on him. Instead, even more shockingly, Gabriel took a seat beside him. 

"I believe I may have sheltered you a bit _too_ much. You need more exposure to girls your age, someone other than that Bourgeois girl" Gabriel said. Adrien blinked curiously, unsure of where this conversation was going. 

"For the next few week, I've scheduled for you to have collaborative photoshoots between you and a girl from your class; Lila Rossi. Her mother being a leader at the Embassy makes her a valuable asset to the Agreste brand. And I believe she'll be a good influence on you" he explained, standing up. "Use this time with her to your advantage, this is me being generous Adrien" 

Adrien had no opportunity to interject, as his father left just as quickly as he came. Adrien sighed, looking back to his piano. 

Maybe this won't be so bad. 


	7. Chapter 7

While it was somewhat true that Lila's mother would make Lila a strong asset to Gabriel's brand, it was more important to note that his employing of the young girl had more to do with the fact that she was his most special pawn. She, unlike any other citizen he's akumatized, has a reason to _want_ to take Ladybug and Cat Noir down.

She's willing to do whatever it takes to take them down, and that dedication to the one thing he asks of all his victims is the one thing that makes her stand out. And the bitter selfishness that wells inside the young girl only makes her even stronger an ally. He wants to keep her close for future use.

That's not to say that Gabriel _hadn't_ looked into the female students in Adrien's classes. While most of them were a waste of his time, he had to admit that one particular girl _did_ stand out to him. 

Marinette Dupain Cheng, while obviously lacking in training and discipline, was just as talented in the fashion scene as Lila- no, scratch that. She was exceptionally _more_ talented than _anyone_ in her class. Truthfully, this girl would be a much more beneficial collaborative for the brand, and if he could have experienced what her skills as an Akuma victim may have been like, he likely would've chosen her instead.

But it's too late for that. There will be time in the future to appoint Dupain Cheng for business reasons. Right now, for the sake of Gabriel's _main_ goals, Lila is his best bet. 

__________

Marinette decided it was best to speak with Alya iver the phone. Lila was wicked but she wasn't a _stalker_ (at least, she hoped not). She can't hurt Marinette for speaking freely in her own home. Plus, if she's already on Lila's bad side, she may as well speak her peace to the one person she can trust. 

So she did. She called Alya and told her everything. And Alya could not believe what she was being told. 

"Oh my God" Alya said. "That girl is just- ugh" she groaned. "I can't believe I ever believed a word that came out of her lying mouth" 

"I know. Honestly I believed her too, until I realized how bizarre some if her lies are. And when you actually start to pay attention to some of the stuff she says, you realize how untrue they are. But that's why she hates me so much. She doesn't want anybody doubting her, she wants to get away with it. And she knows I'm trying to stop her, which is why she won't leave me alone" 

"How the heck did she find out about your medicine though!?" Alya asked. 

"That's the thing" Marinette said. "I have no idea! My parents swore never to tell anyone, i know for sure that I never said anything, and I always take my medicine in private". 

"Maybe she saw you take it once?" Alya suggested. 

"Even if she did, i always either just take a pill out my bag without taking the container out, or I cover the label on the container with my hand if I do take the container out. She had to have gone through my stuff to find it, but I can't think of any time I've left my medicine bag unattended, it's always with me" she explained. 

"Well, do you always keep your medicine in the same pocket?" Alya asked. 

"Yeah, I can't risk losing it, so I always have it in the same place. Why?"

"Well, from what you told me about her and Adrien's book- which by the way, I will forever tease you for spying on them out of jealousy; we know she's just as good at stealing as she is with lying. If you always have your medicine in the same pocket, she may have picked up on your consistency and played on it. Has she ever bumped into you?" Alya asked. 

"Oh yeah" Marinette groaned. "Plenty of times. Honestly, it seems like any time the two of us are in a room together, she finds some way to physically hurt me while playing it off as an accident" 

"Well, one of those times, she must have pick pocketed you for your meds so she could see what's up. And once she saw what you were keeping secret all this time, she had no need to hold onto it anymore, and she must've planted it back on you before you could notice it was gone" Alya explained. 

Marinette groaned loudly out of frustration, blaming herself for letting this happen. 

"Calm down girl, this was _not_ your fault. That snake had _no_ right to invade your privacy like that. But we're gonna fix this" Alya assured.

"Thank you Alya, I'm so glad I trusted you" 

"I'm glad too" Alya said. "Ok so here's what we're gonna do; tomorrow, first thing in the morning, you and I are gonna talk to principle Damacles about this. Blackmail is a serious offense not to be taken lightly. We're gonna talk to him in private because lord knows that if Lila's there too, she'll find some way to corrupt this. You just gotta speak your mind and make it known that Lila crossed a serious line. Everyone at school knows you're a good person, so they have to believe that something is up if you tell them exactly how you feel" 

Marinette felt her confidence build up already. 

__________

"Owww! M-Marinette pushed me down the stairs!" Lila howled, her pretentious cries building up more anger in Marinate than she'd ever felt in her entire life. 

Unfortunately, as soon as Marinette and Lila were forced into the principal's office, things did _not_ go in Marinette's favor.

Lile convinced everyone that Marinette had pushed her down the stairs out of a personal vendetta against her, and somehow managed to frame her for stealing her necklace. And when Marinette tried to explain that this was all a misunderstanding, no one would listen to her. She didn't even _try_ to bring up the blackmail because she knew for a _fact_ that no one would believe her, and instead of seeing Lila as the liar she is, everyone would instead see Marinette as the liar.

Anger, betrayal, hopelessness, all the negative emotions in the book, they were circling around like a plague. Not just by Marinette, but by everyone whose trust in her was now being questioned. 

Hawk moth must've relished in the negative energy spiraling from the large group of troubled children, just _begging_ to be akumatized with how miserable they all were thanks to Lila Rossi. Gabriel was glad to have trusted her, she truly was a phenomenal ally. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING! Explicit description of a panic attack in this chapter, and also a brief scene of sexual abuse (particularly molestation and segregation). Also physical abuse and self doubt. Please read responsibly and remember that you are safe and you are loved!

Just as quickly as the akumatizations happened, they were resolved without any real hint as to why. But that didn't matter to Marinette. Her mind was too focused on what happened- what _could've_ happened, if she's been akumatized any longer. 

She knew a panic attack was coming. She could feel it in how her throat closed up and her nose seemingly became incapable of breathing, so Marinette felt as though she were breathing through a straw. She could feel how her heart raced and her stomach bubbled with a burning feeling that only came about when her fears took over. The way her body shuddered from random chills despite her not being cold. She felt it, it was a strong painful panic, and there was nothing she could do but wait it out, as she wasn't level headed enough to guide herself through any of the grounding exercises her therapist had taught her.

After her parents brought her home, she had gotten over her panic attack but felt the anxiety still lingering in her, as if another attack would strike at any moment despite how drained the first one made her. She felt absolutely awful. Tears suddenly streamed down her face. Sabine was the first to notice. 

"Marinette dear, I know that what happened at school was stressful, but I believe you when you say that you didn't do these things this girl accused you of doing" she said. 

"Agreed. Although, right now is going to be a difficult time. We don't know if you'll be going back to that school, so we may have to find you a new one. In the meantime, you'll be spending time in the bakery with us. It won't be so bad!" Tom added. 

Marinette tried her best to calm herself but the most she could muster was a nod. 

__________

Adrien was overwhelmed. He knew for a fact that Marinette did not do anything Lila accused her of. He knew Lila was a liar, he knew she hated Marinette, and though he didn't know why, he was sure she set this all up to happen. 

Adrien was angry at Lila, but he was also sad for Marinette. But most of all, he was conflicted. Nathalie had never been wrong before, but it's starting to get more and more difficult for Adrien to follow her advice. He wanted to let the girls fight their own battles, but it seemed as though they weren't fighting for any cause, they were fighting just out if pure hatred. And Adrien wasn't sure if they would ever get over it on their own. 

Nathalie warned him that if he chose to get involved, he'd be forced to pick a side. But to that, Adrien had already made up his mind. He wanted to have faith in Lila, he wanted to be her friend, but Marinette was already someone he trusted and felt close to. He wanted to protect her, even if it hurt Lila. 

"I want you to get Marinette back in school" Adrien said to Lila as soon as they were alone together. 

"And why would I do that?" She whispered. 

"Because..." Adrien started. "We're friends...aren't we?" 

__________

Adrien was a boy with no control over his life. Every meal he ate was planned and cooked by someone else. Every activity he did was carefully scheduled and solidified. Every outfit he wore, every cologne he used, and every beauty product he was given were all things dictated for him. Every inch of him, from his body, to his image, to his every day life, all of him belonged to his father and his father's company. Adrien was not his own person, so he had no choice but to live out his own free self as someone else. 

Cat Noir was more than a responsibility to Adrien. He was an escape, an opportunity to be who he wants to be without anyone telling him that he's not good enough.

Having Lila with him at the photoshoots wasn't his choice. While it came with its perks (such as her using her lying skills to convince the crew that Adrien's father specifically requested that they leave Adrien's discipline in her hands; resulting in much less hitting, shoving, yelling, and throwing things at him), it also had its cons. 

Lila was just as much a problem as the rest of the Agreste company. Adrien is not his own person, he is company property. And Lila's lies only granted her the authority to do the job she took from everyone else; discipline. 

Adrien was glad he wasn't being hit anymore. No more bruises to cover, no more harsh slaps or threatening stances to make him flinch. Temporarily, of course, but still somewhat refreshing. But this was only because he was entirely at Lila's mercy, and her idea of discipline was less corporal than the crew's. 

Lila looked for any and every reason to "punish" Adrien. Be it, for poor posture (even if he was on break), poor manners, not enough makeup, a hair out of place, basically any imperfection she could find, she punished him for. 

At first, she would simply force him to say things he didn't want to say, sweet things that really made no sense to him to be honest, with the threat that if he didn't, she would get physical. But gradually, as she reprimanded him more and more, she justified her slow transition into physical punishments with the fact that he keeps giving her reason to discipline him. It made no sense to him, but he couldn't say anything. 

Cat Noir leaped the rooftops carelessly, pushing his troublesome thoughts to the back of his head. Adrien is not him. So Adrien's pain is not his to suffer with either. Still, the scenes of Lila slowly starting to touch him, and forcing him to touch her in ways he didn't fully understand yet still did not like at all...it was hard to ignore. 

Cat Noir was so caught in battling his mind that he hadn't sensed the presence behind him. When he felt the sudden touch of someone, he flinched sharply, nearly falling off the roof. He turned quickly to see who it was, immediately on guard, but lowered his fighting stance when he recognized the other as his partner, Ladybug. 

Despite how deeply he loves the woman, despite how blindly he trusts her and how strong his faith her her lies, Cat Noir was too plagued by his pain to suppress the whimper that escaped him as he held back tears. 

"Cat?" Ladybug whispered. Cat Noir held it in, but his body visibly trembled. 

"Kitty? Are you alright?" She asked. 

Cat Noir just needed a moment to shut his eyes, focus in nothing, and _breathe_ , before he was able to finally mask his emotions once again. He nodded smilingly, assuring his beloved that he was just fine. Of course she didn't believe him, but she knew it wasn't her place to pry. 

"I'm here for you, if you need to talk I'm always here to listen" Ladybug assured. Cat Noir thanked her for her kindness and the two left it at that, quickly turning to their professional attitudes and going on a normal patrol for the night. 

__________

Lila's contract with the Agreste's soon came to its end, and Adrien was beyond happy to bid her good riddance. He was done trying to be her friend. That girl ruined him.


	9. Chapter 9

To no one _but_ Marinette's surprise, the results of the school's fashion competition announced the baker girl as the winner; meaning her creation would be featured in the next Agreste fashion show. 

Despite Marinette's shock, she still felt giddy with excitement. Nervousness crept its way there too, and as she worked it was difficult to push the feeling down, but nonetheless, this was something she felt extremely happy about.

__________

After the fashion show, Gabriel accompanied Adrien on the ride home. It was strange how awkward a father and son could be when in each others presence for more than 10 minutes.

Adrien fidgeted nervously. He didn't really feel comfortable with his father anymore...not after the treatment he faced with Lila. He knew that it wasn't his fathers fault, he didn't know about what she had done to him after all.

He couldn't help but somewhat blame Gabriel, however. If he hadn't appointed Lila, she wouldn't have used him like that. And if he hadn't given the camera crew permission to hit him in the first place, they wouldn't have allowed Lila to treat him the way she did. 

Adrien wondered if his father would even care about what he went through, or if he would only be further punished for saying anything about it. But Adrien figured he'd much rather be locked away than be forced to work with Lila again. 

"Father?" Adrien started nervously. Gabriel looked at him, his stoic expression unchanging. 

"What is it Adrien?" He asked. Adrien shrunk into himself a bit, unsure why he felt so afraid but nonetheless, weighed by his fear. 

"I..." He took a deep breath. "I don't want to work with Lila anymore" 

Gabriel raised a brow. Not that he particularly cared, but he _was_ a bit confused by the suddenness if this. 

"Adrien, what I choose to do with my company is my decision alone. Lila is a wonderful collaborative, why ever would you want to stop working with her?" Gabriel asked. 

"B-because she's bad!" Adrien exclaimed. "I have female friends, and none of them treat me the way she does-" 

"And how exactly does she treat you" Gabriel cut him off. 

"She touches me, she kisses me, she hits me, and she threatens me" Adrien said, holding back tears.

"That's not possible, the crew would have put a stop to that behavior immediately" Gabriel said.

"She told them that you put that responsibility in her hands for as long as she'd be working with me. And they believed her..." Adrien explained. Gabriel furrowed his eyebrows angrily. 

"I'm going to have to have a serious conversation with all of my employees" he grumbled. "And you swear that this is what truly happened? If you're lying to me, Adrien I promise you, your punishment will be worse than you could ever imagine" 

"I promise I'm not! I'm not asking much, just please don't make me work with her again Father" he pleaded. Gabriel sighed. 

"Fine. From here on out, not only is she entirely banned from Agreste property and all photo shoots, but as her former employer I will run her name to the ground and she will never be permitted to even _think_ about joining the fashion industry" Gabriel concluded. "Adrien, are you alright?" 

The question caught Adrien off guard. It wasn't like he expected his father to _not_ ask if he were ok, but still...it wasn't something he heard every day.

"Y-yeah I'm...I'm fine" he said. 

"We can press charges" Gabriel said. "It won't take much, I'm sure our lawyers are much better than what her single mother could afford anyway" 

"No, no I don't want to press charges" Adrien said. "She only did what she did because...I think she likes me...but it made me uncomfortable because I don't like her back...but she didn't know that so I guess she isn't all bad. I just don't want to work with her ever again, but I don't want to ruin her" 

Gabriel was already growing tired of his son's rambling. 

"Alright fine. You no longer work with Lila Rossi, but I won't do anything to her unless you ask"

Thankfully, the car had come to a stop by the mansion not long after that. 

__________

When Cat Noir was on patrol that day, he felt lighter. His mind was still lightly clouded by the invasive thoughts of Adrien's pain. But it wasn't nearly as maddening as it had once been.

Ladybug had taken notice about how he seemed more normal. She was happy to see that he was less troubled, but still a bit concerned for her friend since he never spoke to her about what was wrong. But she knew it probably wasn't any of her business, so she didn't ask. But when Cat Noir instead asked _her_ if they could talk, of course she didn't reject him.

"Is something wrong Cat?" She asked. The two of them hadn't noticed anything suspicious around town, so they decided it was safe to relax on one of the rooftops for now unless trouble arises. 

"Yeah actually, um...can you give me some girl advice?" He asked. Ladybug blinked confusedly at that. Where was this coming from?

"Oh, uh ok" she said. The two sat down together. "What do you want to know?"

Chat shifted uncomfortably before speaking. 

"Well, I...you know how I like you, but you don't like me back?" He asked. Ladybug internally cringed. It was just such an awkward way to open a conversation!

"Yes. But I still appreciate you as a friend, and I feel bad that I can't return your feelings. Honestly, I do think you're really great, and you're someone I _could_ love, but my heart is already set on someone else and I just can't feel those feelings for anyone else" she answered. Cat Noir looked down sadly for a moment before speaking again. 

"I just...there's this girl..." He began. "I don't know her very well. She makes me kinda uncomfortable sometimes but I don't really think much of it. But she and I used to work together- we don't anymore, but when we did..." 

"What happened?" Ladybug asked. Cat Noir shuddered at the memory. 

"She...she forced me to do things I didn't want to do. She'd touch me, and she'd tell me to touch her, and if I told her I didn't want to, she'd threaten to hurt me-" Cat Noir choked up a bit as he spoke, tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to push them back but they dripped down anyway. 

"I managed to get her out of my job, so I never have to work with her again. But I just can't understand why she did that, is- is it because she liked me? Do girls do this to the boys they like?" He asked worriedly. Ladybug's eyes widened. 

"Cat, this is absolutely not ok! It's not normal for anyone to be forced to do things they don't want to do" she explained. "The boy I love is someone I respect very much, I can't even _imagine_ ever doing anything like this to hurt him! This girl, she did something horrible to you. She didn't do it because she loves you, no one does this to the people they love" 

"Have I- have I ever done anything to make _you_ feel uncomfortable?" Cat Noir asked. Ladybug was a bit taken aback by that. 

"L-like that!? No!" She assured. 

"I-I know but...still..." He said quietly. Ladybug sighed, deciding it may be best for her partner that he learn about boundaries. Not just so he can improve his own behavior, but also so he can protect _himself_. 

"I guess sometimes, when you try to kiss me or grab me, that kinda makes me feel weird. But I never think much of it because you always get the hint when I'm uncomfortable. Still though, I'm ok with friendly flirting and you being a romantic goofball, but if anyone ever crosses the line between playing around and making you uncomfortable, that's when it becomes abuse" she explained. 

"Cat Noir, your body is the one thing that's yours and yours alone. It's important to tell people what you're ok with and what you're not ok with so that they know how to behave around you. And if you aren't sure what you're ok with, that's ok too! But it's important that you speak up when someone makes you uncomfortable so that they never do it again. And if they keep doing it, or they try to make you feel bad for being uncomfortable, or they threaten you because of it, that means that that person is a bad person and you should stay away from them because they're only going to keep hurting you" she concluded. 

"What if they just don't know any better?" He asked. 

"That's not an excuse. Sure, maybe some people don't know right from wrong in that sense, but it's their own responsibility to learn. You're not supposed to ignore your own feelings just because you feel bad for someone else Cat Noir. Metaphorically speaking, if you ever did something like that to me- which I know you wouldn't, but if you did, I wouldn't care if you knew it was wrong or not. I'm allowed to be angry that you hurt me that way. So you're allowed to feel the same" Ladybug replied. Cat Noir wiped the tears from his face and nodded. 

"I'm scared to let her go. I never was close to her but I always thought that we could be friends" he admitted. Ladybug cupped his cheeks so that her partner could look her in the eyes as she offered a gentle smile. 

"It'll be ok. If this girl really wants to be your friend, she'll respect your feelings and apologize. And just because she apologized doesn't mean you have to forgive her. You're allowed to feel upset for however long you need to, she has to respect that too" 

"Can I hug you?" Cat Noir asked. Ladybug only smiled, not speaking a word in response. Instead, she simply pulled her friend into a loving hug, stroking his hair softly. 

"Do you think _I_ ever made you uncomfortable?" Ladybug asked quietly. Cat Noir quickly shook his head but Ladybug only giggled, scratching behind his ears gently. 

"Not like that" she clarified. "But, in general. I wanna be a better partner- a better _friend_. Is there anything I've ever done that you think I should change?" 

The two stood in silence for a bit. Ladybug continued to stroke Cat Noir's hair softly. 

"Sometimes you make me feel like I'm not smart" he admitted after a few moments of silence. "I-I can't really explain it well but...sometimes, just the way you talk, you- I dunno, you kind of make it seem like you're smarter than me and without you I'd be lost. And it's true, you _are_ smarter than me, and I don't know what I'd do without you. And I like being able to joke about that sometimes but...sometimes it becomes a bit too much" 

Ladybug nodded, still hugging the boy and still continuing to play with his hair. She listened and didn't interrupt. She never realized that she came off as condescending, but now that it was being pointed out, she couldn't exactly deny that she had been coming off a bit too strong sometimes. 

"Sometimes you're a bit rough with me too. I know that we're heroes, and I don't mind being used in any way that makes me useful- really! I love you Ladybug, I'd do anything for you, even if it meant getting hurt! But...sometimes I'd like a warning before you throw me in front of a villain, y'know?" 

That too. Ladybug hasn't realized just how controlling she could be sometimes, and she felt awful having it pointed out. But this wasn't about her, it's about Cat. And if she could change for the better to make him feel safer with her, maybe he'll learn to expect the same from the people around him. She wants to help him, so she's ok with letting herself be vulnerable like this. 

"That's it though. You're really great, you're the best friend I ever had. You've never _really_ hurt me" he finished. Ladybug kissed her partner's cheek. 

"I know Kitty. But I'm glad you told me this. I'm going to show you how a friend should respond to you telling them that they've made you uncomfortable; by being a better friend and listening to the things you told me! And if the girl who hurt you can't do the same- no, if _anyone_ who hurts you, ever, can't do the same for you, you don't ever have to feel bad for not calling them a friend. Friends don't hurt friends" Ladybug pledged. Cat Noir smiled, a big genuine smile. 

"Thank you. Really, thank you" Cat Noir said. 

"Anytime Cat. I gotta bug out now. But I'll see you around!" 


	10. Chapter 10

Adrien felt more confident after his talk with Ladybug. Ever since that night on the roof, she'd shown to be a lot more mindful about his feelings. She tried not to make it obvious, but he noticed the change, and he really appreciated it. It was because of her, that he knew the difference between flirting and abuse. It was a hard pill to swallow, but Adrien soon accepted that what Lila put him through was abuse. 

When he went to school the next day, he noticed that Lila sat in her usual seat; the one beside him. He saw how innocently oblivious she was to the realizations he made about her, and he almost felt bad. But he kept repeating Ladybug's words in his head. 

He doesn't have to feel bad about the abuse other people put him through. 

When he sat down, Lila latched herself to Adrien's arm. She smiled up at him, a look that made him shiver. He lightly pushed her off, as his way to silently tell her that he didn't like that. Still, she grabbed him again, much tighter this time. He didn't want to look, but he was sure by how rough she handled him, that she left bruising. 

Adrien was too afraid to say anything to Lila during class, so he endured it until the bell rang for lunch. 

"Adrien, can you come with me to the library? I need to talk to you about something" Lila requested. Adrien stared at her blankly, but he saw that she wasn't wearing her usual innocent face. She looked serious. 

"I need to talk to you about something too" Adrien sighed. Lila smiled and took his hand, forcefully leading him away. 

__________

Lila brought Adrien to a secluded little area in the library so that they could speak privately. Admittedly, Adrien wanted nothing more than to be with anyone else. Being alone with Lila terrified him. But he needed to tell her now, he needs her to know how she made him feel. And honestly, he'd rather not have to have that talk where anyone else could hear. 

"I'm so excited to work with you again Adrien, modeling with you has been like a dream" Lila swooned. "Don't you think it's weird though? I haven't heard anything from your father yet, is everything ok?" she asked. Adrien scoffed. 

"Everything's fine" he snapped. He didn't intend to sound so harsh, but he didn't exactly regret it either. 

"Adrien, I want to tell you something" she said. Adrien nodded, urging her to continue. 

"Adrien I..." Lila began. "I love you. I've loved you since we first met". Adrien thought he'd be angry to hear it said out loud, but honestly, it just made him sad. Sad because he knew it was all for naught, Lila would never get what she wants out of him. And a bitter person like her who only cares about herself would never be happy like that. But like Ladybug said; that wasn't his problem to shoulder. 

"Lila" Adrien began, scooting away from her. "When we met, I was really excited to get to know you. I wanted to be your friend, even when I found out you were a liar, I still tried to convince myself that there was some good in you. Even when you and Marinette were battling each other, I couldn't understand why you could possibly hate her, she's sweet, and selfless, and creative, and kind, but I still told her to forgive you. But the way you treated me these past few weeks...I didn't like it Lila. I told you every time you hurt me that what you were doing was bad, but you kept doing it because you didn't care about how I felt" 

"That's not true-"

"You don't love me Lila, you just want someone like me to call your own because you want more reason to believe that you're better than everyone else" Adrien said. "Maybe that's why you lie. I think you're afraid to be yourself because you don't like yourself. But it's not enough, no matter how much you pretend, you still hate yourself. And you're still afraid of what people think of you. That's why you cling to me. But that's not fair Lila, don't you care about who you hurt?" 

Lila stared at him, hate spilling from her aura. But Adrien wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid of Lila or what she wants him to think she can do to him. 

"I don't love you Lila. And I don't think we can even be friends now. Your lies hurt too much" Adrien said. Lila smirked. Her smirk became a giggle, and soon her giggling became outright laughter. It was a bit off putting, and Adrien would be lying if he said it hadn't startled him at least just a bit. But he stood strong. 

"You think I'm a liar? You're so mean Adrien. I brought you all the way here to warn you about the one thing I know is true, something your little _friend_ Marinette has been hiding from _you_ " Lila said quietly. Adrien raised a brow, confused. 

"I'm not going to believe you Lila" Adrien said. Lila giggled once more. 

"I know. But you still want to know what it is" she said teasingly. Adrien didn't respond, which only further proved her point. "I'll tell you"

__________

Marinette was talking to her friends in the classroom. She noticed the looks Adrien had been shooting her after lunch, and despite her best efforts to ignore him, she couldn't help but look back. Now that class was over, she was conflicted about him, so she tried to distract herself with her friends until he leaves. But luck was not on her side for that. 

Adrien approached her, causing her to freeze up as she usually did around him. Her friends all gave knowing smirks, silently teasing her. 

"Hey Marinette, how are you?" he asked. 

"I-I'm ok" she stuttered. 

"Can we talk?" he asked. Marinette felt her nerves only grow stronger at that, but of course, she nodded and followed him out the classroom. All eyes shot to Lila now, but she pretended not to notice. Alya was the first to march up to her, her glare strong. For a moment, Lila glared back, but quickly dropped the look to appear friendly as she always did. 

"Listen here and listen good; I don't care what your problem is. But if you spread another rumor about Marinette to hurt her, I promise you it will not end pretty" Alya whispered sternly. Lila chuckled, rolling her eyes. 

"Who said anything about rumors, Alya?" she whispered back. 

__________

Marinette felt defeated. What had she done wrong? She did what Lila told her to do, she gave up on Adrien, she left him alone despite how much she loved him. So why? Why did she go against her word? Why did she tell him? 

"I don't know why Lila told me about your medicine, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about everything. I should've never told you to forgive Lila, I should've defended you more, I knew she was a liar but I didn't realize she was a bad person until after she started to treat me badly. I won't tell anyone about this, but I hope you can forgive me. You're the better friend, you always have been. I should've realized that sooner, I should've taken your side-"

"Adrien, it's fine" Marinette assured. He looked up at her, the guilt on his face telling her that he didn't believe her. 

"Why does Lila hat you so much? I just don't understand" Adrien said. Marinette blushed. She can't tell him it's because she likes him; it would be too much!

"I-I dunno! M-maybe it's because I didn't believe her lies?" Marinette stammered, laughing to ease her nerves. In a way, it was true. Lila didn't like that Marinette was in the way of her lies, so it wasn't exactly a lie. 

"Well, I want to make it up to you" Adrien said. "I know you like fashion. I think your designs are really amazing and I know my father likes them too. Would you like to meet him? Maybe he can give you some pointers about how to start designing professionally"

Marinette cracked a smile, freezing in place from the sheer unbelievability of this. Unable to speak, she nodded frantically as her grin grew wider. 

She was actually _invited_ to his _house_ to meet his _father_! 

Oh no. 

She was _invited_ to his _house_ to meet his _father_.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry i didn't update, some stuff came up that took some time to tend to. But im backkk 
> 
> Question of the day; who here likes magic? I don't have any witch friends and that's sad 😭

"Marinette, don't overthink it. You Look great already" Tikki said tiredly. 

Night had grown tired and the darkness outside Marinette's windows was beginning to lighten slightly; indicating the coming of morning. She'd stayed up all night trying on clothes in attempt to put together the perfect outfit to leave the best first impression on Adrien's father. 

"I know Tikki- I mean, I _don't_ know, I'm not trying to say I _know_ I look _good_ , that would be ridiculous and conceited" Marinette stammered. "But I just mean- this is Adrien's _dad_! The father of the love of my life AND the biggest fashion icon in the fashion industry! What if he throws me out for looking like trash!?" 

"Oh my god what if he bans Adrien from ever associating with me again because my ugliness is a disrespect to his company!? Or what if he sends his bodyguard to kill me and throw my body in a ditch!? Or what if he-" 

"Marinette calm down!" Tikki exclaimed. "Deep breaths, deep breaths" she instructed. Marinette obeyed, taking quick breaths that gradually slowed. 

"Adrien's dad is scary but you're just a kid Marinette, and Adrien is your friend. He's not going to do anything to hurt a kid, especially one that's friends with his son" Tikki pointed out. Marinette nodded with a sigh. 

"You're right Tikki" Marinette said. Tikki smiled and pat her friend's shoulder lightly. 

"I know you're still scared, but it's gonna be ok Marinette. Now, you should probably get to bed before the morning fully comes. You don't wanna yawn in Adrien's father's presence and risk offending him" she chuckled. Marinette returned the laugh and nodded. 

"That would suck" she chuckled. "Ok, can you set the alarm for me?" 

Tikki nodded, tapping away at Marinette's phone as the teen girl got herself cozy for bed. 

__________

Marinette shot up at the sound of her alarm ringing. With a tired groan, she shut it off and started with her usual morning routine. 

All went well until the one thing she was dreading came up; dressing. 

After all that fuss last night, Marinette _still_ hadn't put together a good outfit. She was afraid that if she started her outfit search again, she'd throw herself into a stressful panic. And she couldn't ask her parents for help; as much as she loved them, Marinette knows to save their sense of fashion for just them. 

Without knowing what else to do, Marinette grabbed her phone. 

__________

"So you're telling me that Lila spilled the beans, but it backfired cuz now Adrien is like, super close to you now?" Alya asked. Marinette nodded quickly. 

"Yes, and that's why I really need you to help me!" Marinette exclaimed nervously. 

"I mean, you know that whatever it is, i got you. But what exactly do you need?" She asked, confused. 

"I need you to help me pick out the perfect outfit! This is the first time Adrien's directly asked me to hang out- just the two of us! And he's introducing me to his _father_! _His. Father!_ " Marinette exclaimed, growing more antsy as she spoke. Alya, on the other hand, was ecstatic. 

"Ohmygod _WHAT_!?" She exclaimed, bouncing excitedly. "Marinette!!! This is great! If the dad likes you, then maybe you two can hang out more- and you knowww~" Alya began, her voice growing teasing. "In time, if you face your fears and just spend time with him, maybe he'll start to fall in love with you and you won't even have to confess!" 

Marinette froze a bit at the thought. How wonderful would that be? But it felt too good to be true. It's easy to love him, but it's almost impossible for her to imagine him seeing her in the same way anyplace but in her fantasies. 

Before she could respond, Alya threw the closet doors open and started rummaging through the closet. She threw a few clothing pieces at Marinette. 

"There. I'm not as much the designer as you are, but I know Gabriel Agreste's taste- I did some snooping into the company and stuff when you told me you liked Adrien. So, classy and sharp but not too butch. A nice sleek mix of effeminate and masculine; like his assistant, or his wife. That's how I've seen his female models dressed anyway" 

Marinette chuckled at the mention of Gabriel's assistant. She was an aloof woman, much like her boss. Marinette childishly viewed the two in a light that they would probably very much not appreciate. But she couldn't help it! They just complimented each other so well! 

But her smile fell at the mention of Gabriel's wife...

From what she's heard, she was a beautiful woman. She was all the traits that make up a great woman. But she's gone. She wasn't just Gabriel's wife; she was Adrien's _mother_...

Marinette wondered if she should be doing this. But she didn't have time to ponder it as Alya rushed her to get dressed, otherwise she'd be late. 


	12. Chapter 12

By the time Alya was done with her, Marinette was basically glowing. She didn't wear anything too flashy; just a simple pink blouse and a black pencil skirt with low heels. But she changed up her overall appearance; she wore a light touch of makeup (just a tad more than usual to really make herself glow. Subtly, of course), she wore a new perfume (courtesy of Alya), she ditched the pigtails and wore her hair out for once, and she even painted her nails for the first time in forever! 

She wore a classic red for her nails. At first Marinette thought it would be tacky but Alya says a touch of red raises a woman's sex appeal- which even though Marinette did NOT intend for anything crazy to happen, she still thought it'd be pretty funny to see if Adrien could ever see her as pretty as she sees him. As if that could ever happen, but a girl can dream. 

Marinette shook a bit as she walked; half from nervousness and half from lack of grace. Why was she so nervous? 

"Hey, you look different" Adrien noted once they met up. Marinette blushed a bit but was sad he chose to say _different_ instead of _cute_ or _pretty_. 

"You look the same- I mean, you look grool- i mean! You look great but then I was about to say cool and then- ugh" Marinette stammered. Why did she agree to this?

Adrien laughed and took her hand. 

"You're funny. C'mon, lets go before my dad forgets all about us and takes on a bunch of work for the day" he said, leading her inside. 

Though she'd been to the Agreste mansion before, she never did get a very good look. Well, never under a circumstance that allowed her to really soak it all in, that is. It was gorgeous.

On one of the walls in one of the main rooms, Marinette noticed a painting of a woman. She'd never met the woman, but she knew who she was automatically. Adrien noticed her staring at the painting and frowned a bit. 

"Lets go..." He whispered, almost too low for her to hear. 

__________

Adrien introduced Marinette to Gabriel's assistant, Nathalie. Though Marinette had seen the woman on multiple occasions, she'd never had the opportunity to formally introduce herself. And it turns out, Nathalie is actually pretty great. She's quiet and precise like Gabriel, but she felt a lot less intimidating. 

"So, Marinette, what are you here to speak with my boss about? You look very well dressed, did you schedule an interview with him?" She asked. Marinette blushed intensely. 

The assistant of the greatest fashion designer ever just complimented her outfit! 

"Ah- n-no no! I was invited by Adrien-" 

"Oh, shame. If you're not here for any professional business, I'm afraid I cannot let you speak with Mr. Agreste." She said flatly. 

Adrien looked genuinely sad that he'd been turned down. Marinette wanted to comfort him but she couldn't help feeling extremely awkward. 

"My father promised he'd spend time with me today..." He whispered. Before Marinette could say anything though, Adrien looked up at her and smiled. 

"I know this isn't what you expected. In sorry Marinette" he said. "I think my dad would've really liked you. I had wanted you two to talk about fashion and-" suddenly he gasped. 

"Marinette, your sketchbook!" He exclaimed. Marinette suddenly was very confused. 

"What?" She said. 

"Your sketchbook! If you can go back and get it, I can say you _are_ here for professional business; to have an interview with my father!" 

" _What_!?" 

"I love your designs, they're even better than the ones we receive from our professionals! You could really add something to our brand Marinette" Adrien said. 

"Adrien I-... t-this is too much" Marinette said. "I'm a nobody, I have no experience or training, I have no credibility, I just design stuff sometimes..." 

"You do have credibility! Like that time you designed Jagged Stone's album cover, or the time you made the hat that my father liked- even Chloe's mom liked the hat!" Adrien explained passionately. 

"But what if your father hates my designs" Marinette asked. 

"Nathalie liked your outfit, my dad liked your hat, and real life celebrities like your work. Marinette you're amazing, there's no way my dad can turn you down, you're a prodigy!" Adrien said. "I believe in you, won't you try?"

Marinette played with her hair nervously to hide her embarrassment. Why does he have to be so cute? 

"Ok...I'll go back home and get my sketchbook. I should be back in 20 minutes, can you talk to your dad for me?" She asked. Adrien nodded. 

"You can count on me. If there's one thing my father would never turn down, it's his work" he said, grimacing lightly. "I'll talk to him and then I'll meet you by the entrance so I can bring you to him when you get back"


	13. Chapter 13

Marinette jogged back and rushed to find her sketchbook. Thankfully, she'd left it in an easy place to find (her backpack). 

"Ok I got it, time to run back!" Marinette exclaimed to herself. 

"Hold on Marinette!" Her kwami interjected, startling the girl with her sudden voice. "You should take a moment to breathe, maybe get something to eat so that you won't be so nervous" 

"I can't eat Tikki, what if I get so nervous that I get sick and I vomit and I totally embarrass myself!?" Marinette rambled. Tikki sighed. 

"At least sit down for a few minutes. You don't want to get sweaty from running so much" she advised. Marinette sighed and nodded. 

"Five minutes, and then I'm back on the road"

__________

"So you're the girl my son told me about" Gabriel Agreste said, his voice chillingly monotonous. 

Marinette robotically extended her arm, offering her hand to the man. Firmly, he took hold of it for a brief shake before eyeing her. 

"You're sweaty" he plainly said. "And you're five minutes late" 

Marinette felt her soul leave her body from embarrassment. The man seemed to care not for her visible distress however, because he moved on without another mention of it. The two sat down across from one another at his desk. Marinette tried her best to hide her shaking but she could tell it was noticeable and she was beyond embarrassed about it. Thoughts rushed through her head about what the man could possibly be thinking about her right now. 

"Given your age and status, I don't expect much professional experience from you. Though admittedly, what you have to offer already is more than what's typical for girls your age. But that doesn't matter to me. The Agreste brand doesn't depend on the fame of its workers, I want to see what you have to offer in terms of quality" he said. Marinette nodded sharply, quickly handing him her sketchbook. 

"This is where I keep my designs" she said. Gabriel nodded, opening the book. His face remained unchanging as he examined her work. Despite his earlier comment about her sweat, she couldn't help but sweat even more under the pressure. She was so nervous she could die. 

"Your work is exceptional but your professionalism is lacking. I could've gone without the very detailed written entry about the things you fantasize about in regards to my son" he said sternly, showing Marinette a page where she had written stupid daydream things. 

Marinette gasped and blushed deeply. 

"Ohmygodimsosososorry!!!" She frantically apologized as she covered her face. 

"Miss Dupain Cheng" Gabriel began. "I'm aware of your adoration for Adrien, and I don't exactly care, but with this in mind, how can I trust that you're doing this for the sake of your work and not to just get closer to him" he prompted. 

"Sir I-" Marinette choked a bit on the dryness of her throat. She silently excused herself for a moment to cough before speaking, more clearly this time. "I'm sorry, pardon me" she quickly apologized. 

"Mr. Agreste, it's true, I really like Adrien but...I know he doesn't like me back. And I'm ok with that, I've accepted it. You can't always have your hopes on a boy. But if there's one thing I can have my hopes on, it's my work. Designing is the one thing I can do that reflects who I am without me having to worry about what people think of me. My designs speak things that are meaningful to me, but only to those who are willing to listen. I find that comforting. And even if you don't want me to work for you, I'll still continue to design because that's truly how I feel" 

Gabriel eyed her for a moment, silently analyzing her while she slowly retreated back into her shy awkwardness. Despite her overall quirks and anxieties, Gabriel saw something in her when she spoke. The passion in her voice, the fire in her eyes, the determination in her aura; it was almost familiar. 

"Miss Dupain Cheng, thank you for your time. You're free to go" Gabriel said. For a moment, the life in Marinette's face dropped. 

"Wha-"

"And if I may, I'd like to hold on to this book. I'll contact you after I've made my decision" he said, interrupting her before she could let herself get sad.

"O-oh, y-yes sir!" She exclaimed. "Thank you for your time, have a nice day!" 

With that, Marinette shuffled out of his office. And as if for the sheer irony of it, she fell flat on her face the moment she walked through the doors. Thankfully, no one saw. But once she'd picked herself up, she was suddenly wrapped in tight arms. 

"How'd it go!? Was it scary? What'd he say!?" 

Questions came at her all at once, but the sound of Adrien's voice was calming to her despite how quickly he spoke. 

"I...I don't know. But I don't think it was bad" Marinette said. "He told me he'd contact me once he decided" 

Adrien smiled widely. 

"That's a good thing! Usually he throws out anyone that isn't good enough right away" Adrien laughed. Marinette gaped.

"What!? Why didn't you tell meee" she whined. 

"Because I didn't wanna freak you out and I knew he wasn't gonna do that to you because I know how good your designs are" he explained. Marinette tried to hide her blush but knew she couldn't, so she just let herself smile. 

"Thank you for everything Adrien" Marinette said, her voice genuine. 

"Anytime. You're my friend, it's what friends do" he said with a smile. Something about that tugged at her heart a bit. She knew she should be grateful that he at least saw her as a friend, but... 

"I think I'm gonna go home now, but really, thank you" Marinette said, offering one last smile before she took off. 

"Oh..." Adrien said, frowning. "I guess it's just me now..."


	14. Chapter 14

Adrien sat on the couch alone. He was really happy that he got to see Marinette, and even more so that she got to speak with his father. And he hoped that all would go well...but something didn't feel right. 

Adrien spent most of his days alone, so he should be used to the loneliness by now. But he wasn't. Somehow, being with Marinette for the day only to have her leave before they could really do anything only left him longing for her. But these feelings were too strange for him to speak upon. 

To his surprise, Adrien's thoughts were cut short when he saw his father approach him from his study. Adrien offered the man a smile, hoping he'd sit down and offer maybe a fraction of his time. But the look Gabriel gave him only told him the time with him would be as unpleasant as usual. 

"I have no problem speaking with potential employees but your conduct today was of the utmost embarrassment and I will not stand for it Adrien" Gabriel scolded. 

"I'm sorry Father..." Adrien said, looking down sadly. 

"Next time you will schedule a meeting with me a week in advance" He concluded. Adrien bit his tongue, resisting the urge to remind him that he _did_ speak with him a week in advance about meeting Marinette...

"Yes father" he said. 

"You're grounded for two weeks" Gabriel said. 

"What!? B-but why!?" Adrien exclaimed, afraid of the upcoming punishment. 

"I've taught you better than to pile work on me, and I don't want you getting comfortable using my influence as an opportunity for your little friends" Gabriel said flatly. Adrien fought back tears as he remembered the deafening silence of his room, and the building anxiety that ate at him the longer he was forced to stare at his walls with nothing to do and no one to talk to. 

"Please father, I-I'll be good I promise! Please don't lock me away again, I hate it" Adrien pleaded. Gabriel quickly turned around and thrashed the boy with his cane out of anger. Adrien fell off the couch and stared at his father in shock as he held his throbbing cheek. But the man unapologetically glared down at him.

"You do _not_ talk back to me. Remember, I can be crueler than this, boy. Now go to your room before I turn your house arrest into a two week routine beating" Gabriel hissed. Adrien ran upstairs, tears streaming down his face messily. 

__________

"Oh my god, Marinette this is so amazing!!!" Alya squealed. The girls bounces excitedly at the news. 

"I haven't gotten any results yet, so I don't wanna get my hopes up but AaAAaAh I just wanna be excited!!!" Marinette exclaimed. 

"You got this girl! I believe in you!" Alya affirmed, to which Marinette thanked her. 

After a few minutes of girl talk, Alya finally bid Marinette goodnight and left to beat her curfew. 

Marinette lied on her back blissfully. 

"I'm happy for you Marinette, you faced your fears and did something bold. And I'm sure it'll all be worth it" her kwami said once the coast was clear. 

"You think so Tikki?" Marinette asked with a smile. 

"I know so! Now get some rest" she said. Marinette nodded and, with a yawn, got cozy for sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy my work. I want everyone to know that I write angst because I enjoy it, and sometimes I like to project my own struggles onto certain characters (though, in all honesty it's pretty rare that I do that). However, any internal struggle I face is irrelevant to my writing because I took time to seek help instead of solely relying on writing to cope with things that genuinely bothered me. I know therapy isn't widely available to people, but there are people who will be willing to listen if you have struggles. I want everyone to know that the things I write about are not at all ok, and if you find yourself relating in any way, you need to seek help. I want you all to know that you are loved, if you don't feel loved by the people around you, at least believe that I love you, which is why I want to encourage everyone to love themselves and do everything in their power to keep themselves safe.


End file.
